1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a roaming-service-enabling system, a roaming-service-enabling method and a roaming-service-enabling program to convert data received through the Internet depending on a type of a user terminal and of a transmission path to be used for access and to transmit the data to the user terminal.
The present application claims priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-154135 filed on May 30, 2003, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, an infrastructure of a broadband network is built and service of receipt and transmission of electronic mail, browsing of a Web page, receipt of broadcasting or VoD (Video on Demand)-type contents, communications of a voice and/or a moving picture, or a like, by using IP (Internet Protocol) technology, is provided via an ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) and/or access means such as a CATV (Cable Television) network, FTTH (Fiber to The Home) communication network, 3G (Third Generation) portable cellular phone communication network or a like. A user being provided with such the service (hereinafter simply called a “user”) has come to have two or more sets obtained by combining internet the service (hereinafter simply called a “user”) has come to have two or more sets obtained by combining internet connecting devices such as a home PC (Personal Computer), a portable cellular phone, a car-mounted ITS (Intelligent Transport System), or a like with an access means corresponding to the internet connecting device.
On the other hand, since there are some contents that are accessible from a PC but are not accessible from a portable cellular phone, a disadvantage occurs that the user wishing to view desired contents has to select an internet connecting device.
An internet roaming method is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-261761 (Pages 4-10, FIG. 1) in which, when a terminal of a user is connected to a terminal of a non-contracted carrier being a carrier with whom the user has not signed a contract to receive service, subscriber information is exchanged between a contracted carrier being a carrier with whom the user has made a contract to receive service and the non-contracted carrier so that the non-contracted carrier can hold the subscriber information and, when the terminal of the user is again connected to the terminal of the non-contracted carrier, neither transmission nor receipt of the subscriber information between the contacted carrier and the non-contracted carrier is required.
Also, a roaming service system is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-300311 (Pages 4-7, FIG. 1), in which, when a request for subscription of a user is received, connection is established between a cable television network and/or a public telephone network and a portable cellular phone.
However, since an object of the method disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-261761 is to reduce an amount of data to be exchanged between the contracted carrier and non-contracted carrier, no consideration has been given to access from the internet connecting device of different kinds to contents.
Moreover, since an object of the method disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-300311 is to establish connection between a cable television network and/or public telephone network and a portable cellular phone, no consideration has been given to a case in which a user uses a terminal of a PC or a like through an ADSL, FTTH, or a like.
Configurations of service connection for a user are described below. As shown in a schematic diagram shown in FIG. 9, a user 1 selects an access terminal, access means, mediator (for example, internet service providers (ISPs) who perform internet connecting service, ISP 10, ISP 11, ISP 12, and ISP 13), and service entities (SE) (SE 14, SE 15, SE 16, SE 17 being, for example, contents providing service, as shown in FIG. 9). However, the access terminal, access means, ISP, and SE are determined uniquely and the user 1 cannot select freely any combination of these. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, for the user 1 to gain access to each of the SE 14, SE 15, SE 16, and SE 17, only one route shown by a straight line in an up and down direction is available.
For example, there are some cases in which, if a PC, public telephone line, and ISP are used, specified contents can be accessed, however, it a portable cellular phone and a wireless telephone network are used, the specified contents cannot be accessed. However, in some cases, if an xDSL (x Digital Subscriber Line) or a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) is used as an access means, the user 1 can have freedom in selecting a combination of the access means and the ISP.
Moreover, in FIG. 9, as the access terminal, a home PC 2, portable cellular phone 3, car-mounted ITS terminal 4 and mobile PC 5 are shown as examples. Also, as the access means, an xDSL/CATV/FTTH 6 corresponding to the home PC 2, a wireless telephone network 7 corresponding to the portable cellular phone 3, an ITS 8 corresponding to the car-mounted. ITS terminal 4, and a WLAN (Wireless LAN) 9 corresponding to the mobile PC 5.
FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of connection to be employed when service to cause a Web page to be displayed on an access terminal is provided at time of connection of the access terminal of the user 1 to the Internet 9. When service to display a Web page is to be given to the user 1, the user 1, even if using anyone of the access terminals, any one of the access means, and any one of the ISPs, by connecting to the Internet 19 through an IXC (Inter-Exchange Carrier) 18 or a like, can be provided with equal service. However, a Web page which can be browsed when a portable cellular phone 3 is used as the access terminal is limited to one that can correspond to a protocol stack such as a WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) or a like.
FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of general connection to be employed when service (SE 20, SE 21, SE 22, and SE 23) to give an electronic mail account for transmitting and receiving electronic mail is provided for a user 1. An electronic mail account of the user 1 is assigned individually to each of the combination of the access terminal, access means, and ISP and is not unified. Therefore, the home PC2 and the portable cellular phone 3 cannot transmit or receive electronic mail by using the same electronic mail account or cannot change the ISP without changing the electronic mail account. Moreover, in some cases, the electronic mail account can be used through an IXC (not shown), other access means, and other ISP. For example, there is a case in which a server that realizes an electronic mail account of an ISP is accessed through a CATV. However, in such the case, since the user 1 accesses the server that realizes the electronic mail account using the Internet 19, a security problem is presented.
FIG. 12 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of general connection to be employed when service to distribute contents of broadcasting and/or VoD-type moving pictures is provided for a user 1. In this case, contents that can be viewed are limited depending on combination sets of the access terminal, access means, and ISP selected by the user 1. That is, contents (SE 24, SE 25, SE 26, and SE 27) provided by one CSP (Contents Service Provider) cannot be viewed by two or more access terminals including, for example, a home PC and car-mounted ITS terminal 4, or a like, and if an ISP is changed to other ISP, contents provided by one CSP cannot be viewed. Moreover, in some cases, contents provided by the CSP can be viewed via an IXC (not shown), other access means and other ISP. For example, there is a case in which contents provided by the CSP corresponding to an arbitrary xDSL are viewed by a CATV. However, in such the case, since contents provided by the CSP are viewed via the Internet 19, service provided by the CSP is of a “best-effort-service” type and quality of service can not be ensured accordingly.
In addition to service described above, there is service called “roaming” which enables one service to be provided through other ISP. However, in such the service, as in the case in which subscriber right information is stored, in advance, in an SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card used in, for example, a 3G portable cellular phone so that a telephone speech can be made even in a foreign country, limitation is imposed on an access terminal and access means. Moreover, due to dial-up connection, as in the case of service to connect the Internet which provides an access point for roaming to an electronic mail account, limitation is imposed on combinations of the access terminal, access means, and service providing contents.